The present disclosure is related to a patient support apparatus that includes a control system for automatically calculating a true weight of a patient placed on the patient support apparatus. More specifically, the present disclosure is directed to a patient support apparatus having removable components such as headboard, footboard, siderail, infusion support, drainage container, or urinal container.
In a care facility, such as a hospital or a nursing home, patients are often placed on patient support apparatuses for an extended period of time. Patients who are positioned on the patient support apparatus for extended periods have an increased risk of developing certain complications or injuries, such as certain skin condition that may increase the potential of nosocomial pressure ulcers occurring. In an effort to mitigate or prevent such complications or injuries, some patient support apparatuses use load information gathered from an integrated scale system to derive pressure set points for a dynamic support surface, which continually redistributes the pressure of the dynamic support surface against the patient's skin. However, the weight attributable to the added or removed removable components while the patient remains on a patient support apparatus often causes errors in calculating the true weight of the patient, which in turn can lead to non-optimal pressure set points being derived from dynamic support surfaces.
In addition, caregivers often monitor the weight of a patient who is in a care facility to diagnose and treat certain medical conditions. For example, some caregivers closely monitor a patient's weight loss or weight gain throughout a course of treatment to determine, for example, whether the patient is retaining water. To facilitate making those determinations, some caregivers use an amount of weight calculated by the patient support apparatus upon which the patient is being supported. The weight attributable to added or removed removable components while the patient remains on the patient support apparatus may cause incorrect weight readings and result in incorrect diagnosis or treatment to certain medical conditions.